This pedometer geek reader followed up Simone Pond’s Exodus of Magic with the second book in the Mysterium Chronicles, River of Magic. Again, because of being selected as one of her Elite readers, Simone gifted me an e-book (mobi) file of her newest novel, and this is the extended review of it.

River of Magic

by Simone Pond

Published by Ktown Waters Publishing, 2017

ISBN: 978-1544682501

As the back cover blurb says:

An unfinished prophecy. A diabolical witch. Another high-octane adventure.

Jordan Temple, formerly known as Jordan Bachar, has just escaped from Magnus and his operatives as Exodus of Magic ends. The second book in the Mysterium Chronicles finds the heroine becoming more comfortable in the role as the Chosen One and begins basically where the first one left off.

Trying to escape from the clutches of Magnus and his operatives, basically the Jade operatives of which she was once a valued member, she guides the flotilla of Ancients, the magic-wielding people of the left bank, down the River Elin towards the Ancients’ homeland of Shtein’esrei and freedom.

But it won’t be smooth sailing as she battles her way toward the Rankin Gate, the gateway that must be opened to allow them to pass into their homeland. The catch: only one person, Isabella the enchantress, has the power to open the gate. Getting to her and convincing her to help is a tall task.

Paranormal creatures from the various cities and lands of the Confederated Six keep interfering with her progress and plans, wreaking havoc upon her and the ships. This is especially true in the city of Endor, with Glendora, the High Witch of Endor, holding Isabella captive. With her posse of Benjamin, Chloe, Matthias, and CeeCee at her side, she may just find the resources…or not.

Magic, enchantresses, evil witches, shifters, and more make for an exciting, heart-racing read leaving readers enthralled and on the edge. Will Jordan complete her quest, or won’t she? Will the Ancients find their mythical city again, or will the gate be forever closed to them?

While the story is complete as is, the ending is still a cliffhanger, setting up the reader to eagerly await the next book, Wrath of Magic. Simone Pond, this reader is on tenterhooks! As will all who read the series, but this reader says, “Just do it.” Highly recommended, it’s a fun urban fantasy read with excellent baddies (to quote a dear friend, Denise LC). Counselor Magnus is evil, but Glendora, who is the predominant evil character in this story, may be worse. Still, Magnus is not yet finished with Jordan.

Despite the paranormal creatures and the urban fantasy story, this reader suspects that there is a spiritual component to the stories. It’s not overt, but many of the characters have Biblical names (Matthias, Levi, and Jordan, to name a few), and even the River Elin, which plays such a central role in the story, can be transposed to the River Nile. Is it intentional? Or just a lucky coincidence? Obviously, this reader thinks it is, but decide for yourself…read them both in anticipation of the third story. Either way, it is a rollicking good read from an up-and-coming independent author. Knowing quite a few of them, I have a soft spot for indie authors, but I digress.

This reader has been fortunate to have read most of Simone Pond’s novels. For those who enjoy reading YA dystopian novels, check out The New Agenda series and her Voices of the Apocalypse short stories that stand alongside of it.

Recently this pedometer geek reader had the pleasure of becoming an Elite reader for author Simone Pond’s novel River of Magic, the second novel in The Mysterium Chronicles. What that meant is prior to its publication, the author gave her Elite readers the opportunity to read her newest novel, an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC); however, this reader hadn’t read the first novel in the series. The author was kind enough to offer a copy of this one as well, and this is the extended review of Exodus of Magic.

Exodus of Magic

by Simone Pond

Published by Ktown Waters Publishing, 2017

ISBN: 978-1542980968

Having read other novels by indie author Simone Pond. this reader knew, or certainly suspected, that reading this novel would be a treat, and it was. She has deftly moved from YA dystopian fiction to the genre of urban fantasy.

From the back cover:

An ancient prophecy. A chosen leader. A warlock who will stop at nothing.

As the novel opens, readers are introduced to the female protagonist, Jordan Bachar, a recent graduate of the Academy, the school that trains operatives to protect the citizens of the right-bank in Mysterium, one of the lands of the Confederated Six (by the way, there is a map of the world of the Confederated Six included at the beginning of the novel). She and her fellow graduates are attending a charity ball, held by her adopted mother, Charity Bachar, to celebrate the newest graduates. Charity’s father just happens to be the Prime Master of Mysterium, but Jordan has never felt she has measured up to his expectations so that she is out to prove that she is worthy of being one of these elite operatives.

During this festive event, Jordan finds herself protecting the attendees from a mage-terrorist by using her hidden, illegal magic (magic is illegal in the city of Mysterium). Unfortunately, the Prime Master’s chief counselor, Pierce Magnus, recognizes this and subsequently blackmails her into secretly working for him. This sets off a cascade of events leading to her discovery of an ancient prophecy.

This prophecy involves her…in fact, she discovers she is the Chosen One. She is the one who will save the Ancient Ones of the left-bank of Mysterium, that is, if she survives. Paranormal creatures including a powerful warlock are out to stop her, but she will be joined in her quest by other magical persons in this first novel of the series.

The novel is engaging right from the start so that it is difficult to stop reading (to be honest, this pedometer geek reader devoured it). The characters, both the good and the bad, are realistic (for the genre). Pond doesn’t give away anything so that the reader is constantly guessing who is a good guy and who isn’t. Overall, it is a fun read, and it definitely sets the reader up for River of Magic, the sequel. The tale is complete as is, but there are enough unanswered questions that the reader desires to know: how will Jordan save the Ancient Ones from their exile? How will she save the world of Mysterium?

This reader is looking forward to reading the upcoming second book; as an Elite reader, that will be as soon as this review is posted. Expect a review soon as the book will available to the public as of today, March 28, 2017 (in other words, don’t wait for my review, read both of them now!) For those who love paranormal creatures (vampires, witches, mages, and more) and urban fantasy, this will be right up your alley.

One nit-picky thing that this reader found throughout the story: the term Chosen One was over-utilized by the protagonist. Most heroes/heroines in stories tend to disbelieve in their role in the universe and downplay it, acting only “because they had to,” (that it was the right thing to do). Perhaps, Jordan’s use was meant to be self-deprecating and funny, but it became a bit tedious; however, having said that, when she was called CO by some of her compatriots, that was rather clever, and it certainly is not a reason to forgo reading this series.